


Mika'il

by orphan_account



Category: EastEnders
Genre: Happily Ever After series, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2012-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-20 22:12:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mika'il meets the world and his blubbering father for the first time. Part of my Happily Ever After universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mika'il

Syed paced impatiently outside the door. He had no desire to watch his sister give birth and this was Christian's gig anyway. He'd deliberately chosen to make that the case, to let Christian have this, as a gift of sorts, after everything they'd been through. His husband was having a baby with his sister and wasn't that weird, but Christian was taking it all very seriously. He'd been doting on Shabnam all through the pregnancy to the point where Syed had been fielding irritated calls from Shabnam asking him to politely – or not so politely – reign Christian in a bit from his smothering care and concern for her. Later on the pregnancy however, Christian's smothering had been all too welcome as Shabnam spent the last two weeks on bed rest and Christian tended to her every need. Syed felt like a bad brother, he wasn't so concerned about this. The kid felt more like his nephew than his son but then this baby wasn't for him. He would happily raise the kid as his own, as Yasmin's sibling, as part of their quirky family. He would parent it and love it and and it would be special for being Christian's child but this time Syed was determined that Christian would be Daddy Number One because Christian just seemed to need that so much and Syed wanted it for him.

Inside the room Christian winced as Shabnam gripped his hand. With his free hand he brushed the hair back from Shabnam's face and kissed her sweaty brow through the pained screaming. He wished he could do something more, but all he could do was hold her hand and so that's what he did. He wished Syed was here too, but Syed and Shabnam seemed to have some sort of mutual agreement and he wasn't going to get in the way of it. Around them, doctors and nurses swarmed, calmly going about their work with a great degree of concentration.

Another contraction rocked Shabnam's body and this time she was told to push. There was more screaming. Pain like he'd never heard before and then the word that the head had appeared. The world blurred into a mess of contractions and pain in his hand and sweat and screaming and calm doctors and nurses passing instructions and then somehow, minutes later, all of that was pierced by tiny, tiny, sputtering coughs and Christian's eyes snapped around.

The poor kid was being held upside down by the ankles. His little bits hanging there for all to see.

A boy.

“Congratulations, Mum and Dad. You have a son,” The nurse smiled at them.

He had a son.

The kid coughed and spluttered a bit and then wailed. The piercing, distinctive wail of a newborn child. Then he was righted and his mouth was cleared of fluid and he was wrapped in little blankets.

“Does Dad want to cut the cord?”

Christian paled, shook his head. The doctor shrugged and did it himself while, in spite of her exhaustion, Shabnam giggled at him.

Within moments his little boy was swaddled and handed over to Christian while Shabnam delivered the afterbirth.

Shabnam was exhausted, but one sight of the baby made her smile, tiredly. She looked at Christian expectantly.

Just at that moment the doors burst open and Syed tumbled in and as he did his heart melted. His little family looked beautiful. Mum, Dad and baby all well and happy.

Christian grinned at Syed who grinned back and then Christian looked back at his son again, taking him in properly for the first time. Fingers, toes, ears, nose, eyes...the boy was the image of his mother.

Christian imagined him in a little baby shalwar kameez and takiyah and grinned. His little boy. He leaned down and kissed him and then nuzzled his ear.

“Lā ʾilāha ʾillā l-Lāh, Muḥammadur rasūlu l-Lāh,” Christian whispered. He saw Shabnam and Syed reeling in shock and looked between them. “What, did I say it wrong? Here,” Christian stood up and passed him to Syed, “You can say it properly.”

Christian watched Syed and a great feeling of warmth and love overwhelmed them. They looked right together. So right. A feeling deep in his soul, some great life force resonating with the world and for a long moment Syed just stared and then he found his wits and recited the call to prayer and then handed the boy to his waiting mother who looked at her son properly for the first time. She stared at the boy, wondering. “He's angelic,” She whispered.

“Perfect,” Agreed Christian.

“You're amazing, you know that?” Syed told his sister and then kissed her on her brow, just like Christian had done. “I love you,” Syed told her over the little baby's continued cries.

“He's hungry,” one of the nurses said. Shabnam's maternity gown was unbuttoned by a motherly nurse and Syed looked away, awkwardly and then with a quick nod to Christian stepped out of the room. Christian stayed. He wanted to go after Syed but Shabnam had just given birth to his child and he couldn't just leave her and he couldn't take his eyes off their son. Shabnam looked nervous but the kid seemed to know what he was doing. He was eager, at least, although he had some trouble at first. Christian watched as Shabnam and the nurse talked between them, adjusting the baby's position to help him latch on.

It was beautiful. Wondrous. Epic. In that one brief moment the whole universe made sense.

“Do you have angels, in Islam?” Christian asked. It was a question he'd never thought to ask Syed. An exhausted Shabnam looked down at their son. “We do,” She said quietly. “They're made of pure light.”

“I like that.”

“Jibril revealed the Qu'ran to Muhammad. Gabriel, as you'll know him.”

“Ok... Anyone else?”

Shabnam laughed, happy. She smiled, watching and feeling her son feed. A deep contentment filled her. “Mikail. He brings rain and mercy and nourishes body and soul.”

Christian looked at their son. “Shabs, I think his name's Michael.” Not, 'lets call him Michael', because this wasn't a decision. It was like a window opening in his mind. This was his name.

“Mikail,” She tested it out. The baby sighed contentedly. She offered her pinkie and he gripped his hand around it. Shabnam nodded. “Michael. Our angel of light.”

~


End file.
